This too shall pass

It is said an Eastern monarch once charged his wise men to invent him a sentence, to be ever in view, and which should be true and appropriate in all times and situations. They presented him the words: And this, too, shall pass away. How much it expresses! How chastening in the hour of pride!how consoling in the depth of affliction!
- Abraham Lincoln

More quotes! I like ones that have a level of ambiguity, a meaning that changes depending on situation. “This too shall pass” teaches us to hope in times of desperation, and encourages temperance in times of plenty. Hope is a good thing, especially in times like these when many problems plague the world.

It also reminds me of Shelley’s sonnet Ozymandias, which reminds us that even the greatest of empires fade away:

“And on the pedestal these words appear:
‘My name is Ozymandias, king of kings;
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!’
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.”